Learning to be Better Tomorrow than You Are Today

“There’s no better time than the present to be better than we were yesterday.” Gary Kelley

Some of my employee engagement training work involves presenting full-day programs for a public seminar company. I enjoy doing these programs, and I refer to them as “OPS” for “other people’s stuff.” It keeps me on my game and increases my skill as I have to keep a room full of people engaged and send them home with useful skills they can use when they get back to work.

It’s surprising to see the number of individuals who sincerely believe that these one- or two-day programs contain everything they need to know and do to succeed. The thought of additional study, research, or having appropriate educational resources on hand for future reference doesn’t seem to enter their mind. I do what I can to encourage them to continue their education, and leave it up to them to take action.

We learn through a process called spaced repetition. You hear something once, and it may or may not stick with you for longer than 48 hours. It’s in studying the materials and taking action on what you learned that matters.

How much of your time do you invest in self-improvement or professional development? If it’s been awhile since you’ve read a book, took a webinar, or enrolled in class, find something that is of interest and start there. As you open yourself up to thinking in a different way, you may just find that you like it – and your boss will probably notice the difference in your motivation level too.

PS – Look at sites like www.coursera.org for a variety of free classes being offered by prestigious universities. Many of them even come with a certificate for passing them. How cool is that?